If you are new to running, or only want an approximation of your maximum heart ate, you can use the formula of 214 – (0.8 x age) for men and 209 – (0.9 x age) for women. Unfortunately for 5-10 per cent of the population, this figure can be wrong

When Runner's World readers were asked to list their essential kit last year, heart-rate monitors came out on top. Unfortunately for the female runner, using a heart-rate monitor is usually an uncomfortable experience, requiring 10 minutes before

Heart-rate monitors vary hugely in price and functionality. For less than £20 you can pick up an HRM that simply measures your pulse, while parting with £150+ will give you a monitor that will set training zones for you, tell you how many calories

, but your new training paces might come as a surprise too. Before you get started, work out the right benchmarks to work towards by finding your maximum heart rate. If you're a complete beginner, start off with this very approximate formula: 214 - (0.8 x

though, it does the basics well enough.Contact www.timex.comTimex BodyLink Trail Runner £180 Tested by Big KevFeatures Simultaneous display of heart rate and speed distance, 2 linked interval timers, latitude, longitude and altitude, navigation

Gone are the days when runners would rate our efforts based on the colour of their cheeks after a run. Heart-rate monitors are now so easy to use, affordable and accurate that there's no excuse for skipping the science bit in your training. Most

and paces?HillworkBeginners - Hill TrainingHow should I structure hill reps?Heart rateCalculating threshold heart rateHow should I calculate my maximum heart rate?Long runs and cardiac/heart-rate driftMy heart-rate zones seem wrong...My race heart rate

). To calculate your working heart rate, subtract your resting heart rate from your maximum; take the appropriate percentage of this figure, and then add it to your resting rate to find your target training rate.

in a speed session-104-180Easy - a gentle jog-138-148Slow - conversational pace -146-156Steady - a comfortable, but purposeful, pace. -158-168Brisk (or Threshold (THR)) - around your target pace-174-182 Fast-10K-180-188Fast-5K-186-194Fast

Steady - a comfortable, but purposeful, pace. About marathon pace -158-168Brisk (or Threshold (THR)) - around your target half-marathon pace-174-182Fast-10K-180-188Fast-5K-186-194Fast-above-5K-192-198Enter your race date:  (dd/mm/yyyy)Finished? When you